Isiolo County Commissioner Mr. Geoffrey Omoding has directed chiefs and their assistants to hasten the process of registering farmers who will benefit with the government’s subsidized fertilizers in the County.
The County Commissioner said the chiefs have a week to compile an actual list of farmers and their land sizes so that the government could get a proper estimate of fertilizer demand in the country for ease of supply and distribution.
Mr. Omoding said that the government wants to keep proper records of farmers for all varieties of crops so that they can be empowered to produce more and improve food security.
While addressing Assistant County Commissioners, Chiefs and their assistants in Isiolo town said there was need to capture the correct number of acres each farmer has in order to help the government to plan for now and future.
He said that registration would not look into the family land disputes but only get correct fertilizer demand for the county and eradicate the unscrupulous middlemen in the sector.
The county boss added that soil research would also be done by county and national governments in order to improve food production especially for maize, beans, wheat and cassava which had been doing well in arid areas.
Mr. Omoding said the national government was committed to its policy of reducing fertilizer prices from Sh. 6500 to Sh. 3500.
Meanwhile, Mr. Omoding said that the government would soon establish a special security camp at Yamicha and a Police Station at Malkagala in Merti Sub County in a bid to improve security.
The CC said that the County and Sub-County security teams are all out on fight against the hard drugs with emphasis to target the smugglers and human traffickers who have been stubborn in the region.
The administrator said that establishing the two installations in Merti Sub-County would deal and seal panya routes the smugglers use to traffic the bhang and hard drugs from a neighbouring Country to outlets in the country hence causing rise in cases of insecurity in Isiolo, Wajir and Marsabit.
He further added that Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), General Service Unit (GSU) and the Regular police are patrolling Mlango, Kipsing and the main Isiolo-Marsabit road with a view to enhance security in the area.
Isiolo North MP Mr. Joseph Samal has also commended the County and Sub Counties security teams for maintaining peace during the Christmas and New Year festival during which no incidents were reported.
Mr. Samal said the team should be firm on a few elements who had been stealing livestock along Meru, Isiolo and Isiolo neighbourhood.
The MP appealed to Nyumba Kumi elders, area managers and opinion leaders to help the government to improve the security situation saying there cannot be peace and development in the area without security.
By Abduba Mamo
